Heliobolus lugubris

Heliobolus lugubris, also known commonly as the bushveld lizard, mourning racerunner, or the black and yellow sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in Southern Africa: southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, southwestern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, and south-central to northern South Africa.^[1][3]

Bushveld lizard
adult and subadult
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Heliobolus
Species:	H. lugubris
Binomial name
Heliobolus lugubris (A. Smith, 1838)
Synonyms
Lacerta lugubris Smith, 1838[2] Eremias lugubris – Duméril & Bibron, 1839

Mimicry

Juveniles of H. lugubris are black with light spots and move with a hunched gait, mimicking the appearance of Anthia ground beetles. This mimicry is thought to discourage predation, as the beetles spray formic acid as a defense mechanism and are thus less appealing targets for predators. This is one of very few recorded examples of a vertebrate mimicking an invertebrate.^[4]